Christian Carmona grew up in Medellín’s infamous Barrio Antioquia—an area known for prostitution, gambling, and later, cocaine. In this episode, Christian tells the inside story of a Colombian cocaine dynasty that quietly expanded from Medellín to Miami… and even Portland, Oregon. Raised “Americanized” in the suburbs, Christian didn’t learn the truth about his father’s criminal enterprise until federal agents came crashing down in 1991—taking both of his parents at once. From cartel-era Miami strategies (stash houses, mules, low-profile living) to family-wide trafficking ties and the chaos of the early 90s, Christian lays out how the business really worked behind the scenes. The story gets even wilder when Christian later gets pulled back into the orbit of his father’s old associates—working at a bank where traffickers allegedly used safety deposit boxes to stash cash and kilos. A setup, a sting, and years of court delays later, Christian describes spending nearly four years incarcerated while prosecutors tried to force him to cooperate. This is a raw conversation about family, loyalty, survival, and redemption—plus how Christian found faith and wrote his book Zeal while locked up. 📚 Zeal by Christian Carmona is available now (English & Spanish). https://www.zealnovel.com/ Join The Patreon For Bonus Content! https://www.patreon.com/theconnectshow

00:00 Growing up in Medellín’s Barrio Antioquia

04:08 The neighborhood’s history: red-light district → narco hub

09:29 Why Miami was the move (and how mules worked)

16:11 Living “middle class” while running a cocaine operation

20:47 Why Portland, Oregon became a new market

38:08 1991 indictment & parents arrested

51:02 Bank job, safety deposit boxes, and old ties resurfacing

58:22 The setup, DEA sting, and arrest

1:10:49 Four years jailed while prosecutors pushed cooperation

1:34:19 Faith, forgiveness, and writing Zeal

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